After the phone call with sister Vera, Dr. Bryant got out of the car and walked into the wilderness, a further distance past the “lab”.

He needed no marker; he’d been here a lot of times. He looked around to make sure no one saw or followed him. He made sure his Ford was parked and hidden in the wilderness and bushes. He removed some dirt and leaves on the ground using his shoe; the steel trap door emerged in the dust. He placed his open hand on the screen beside. The scanner read his hand prints then the door clicked open.

Dr. Bryant lowered himself inside, went down the stairs. The understanding laboratory was a different world, one wouldn’t suspect this place to be buried beneath the wilderness, everything silver, blue fluorescent lights from computer monitors.

He found Dr. Weitz typing on the keyboard of one of the big computers. “Please tell me it worked,” he said.

“Obviously it did,” said Dr. Weitz after sighing. His focus on the monitor, typing without looking.

“This is a major break-through, my friend. We made it!” Said Dr. Bryant.

“I still don’t like the fact that you told your sister about this.”

“Vera won’t say anything, don’t worry. We should be celebrating right now. After all these years!”

“You should’ve brought champagne,” Dr. Weitz said, though he didn’t sound like he meant it; his eyes still fixated on the computer screen.

“I will, later on,” said Dr. Bryant. “We have our own earth now. Let’s copy more people there.”

“Right on it. Your niece and the boy must be so lonely right now.”